Pearls of Wisdom For Kingdom Living By Pastor George Belobaba

Kingdom Of God, Pt. 12

KINGDOM PARABLES… The gospel of Matthew records twelve parables of the kingdom that show what the kingdom of God is like.Twelve is the number that denotes divine government. The twelve parables are as follows:

Matthew 13:1-30,36-43… The parable of the sower and the seed… The emphasis is on hearing the word. Three of the four men who heard the word did not bear fruit. That’s 75%. Kingdom saints ought to give heed to what the Spirit is saying.

Matthew 13:24-30… The parable of the wheat and the tares (included in with the sower and the seed parable)… Jesus planted good seed, but the devil came and sowed tares because men slept and did not watch. Kingdom saints are to be alert and watchful.

Matthew 13:31-32… The parable of the grain of mustard seed… This speaks of growing faith and expanding faith. Small faith can grow. The nature of faith is that it grows. God has given to every person a measure of faith. Kingdom saints must grow in faith.

Matthew 13:33-35… The parable of the leaven… Leaven shows us a principle of truth that can be used in a good sense or a bad sense. In a good sense, when “leaven” (grace) is put into our lives, it will absorb into our spirit, soul, and body and make our life fruitful. Leaven is also pictured as sin. When sin is mixed in our spiritual experience it will eventually spoil it. Kingdom saints must plant good things into their lives.

Matthew 13:44… The parable of the hidden treasure… This parable teaches the importance of opportunity. To receive good things one must sacrifice, then take action and the possession. Kingdom saints must not be afraid to sacrifice when there are hidden treasures in the world.

Matthew 13:45-46… The parable of the pearl of great price… Here again we see opportunity plus investment. Jesus is the pearl of great price. People should make every effort to seek Him and find Him. Investing in the kingdom of God is a good thing. Kingdom saints invest in the kingdom of God and in His purposes and works.

Matthew 13:47-50… The parable of the net cast into the sea… The sea speaks of all humanity, all ethnic people groups. Casting the net speaks of the great harvest. Kingdom saints are harvest-minded. The Scripture says, “[they] gathered of every kind” (v. 47, KJV).The harvest was separated into good and bad. At the end of this age angels come and do the separating. Eternal destiny is involved.

Matthew 13:51-53… The parable of the householder… This parable is talking about the scribes, the leadership who minister the word. They will bring out of their treasures both old and new. In other words, they are creative. The scribe does not cast off the Old Testament. He brings into it the freshness of the New Testament. Peter on the day of Pentecost illustrated this. In describing the Holy Spirit’s coming, he referred to the book of Joel and then brought it up to date and united it with what was happening then. Kingdom saints embrace both the Old and New Testaments. Irenaeus, who became a great church leader, writes that the old and new treasures represent the Old and New Testaments. The parables were addressed to the Jews, and Jesus was reminding them that while embracing the Old, they were not to cast off the New.

Matthew 18:23-35… The parable of the king taking an account of his servants… Forgiveness is the issue. When you forgive a person who wronged you, you release that person from a debt and you forget about it. Having a spirit of mercy and compassion works together with forgiveness. Here the one who received mercy did not have a change in his heart. When someone in debt to him was unable to pay what he owed, he took him by the throat and was ready to cast him into prison. The king heard about it and the unmerciful one was delivered to the tormenters. Jesus made this statement… “Solikewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (v. 35, KJV).Kingdom saints are people who forgive others for the hurts done against them.

Matthew 20:1-16… The parable of the laborers… In the kingdom there is work for everybody. Kingdom saints are not idle, nor are they slothful.

Matthew 22:1-14… The parable of the marriage feast… The king sent out an invitation to come, but the invitation was made light of. The invitation then went to those on the highways and by-ways, and the wedding reception was full. Someone had crashed the reception without a wedding garment. The wedding garment was the white linen garment of righteousness. He was bound and cast out into outer darkness. Kingdom saints accept Christ’s invitations to come to the marriage feast, and they come with garments of righteousness. The marriage feast is an end-time event. The bride of Christ is involved.

Matthew 25:1-13… The parable of the ten virgins… It teaches about having “oil” in our lives. Jesus is returning. This parable talks about preparation. Kingdom saints are prepared saints. There are both wise and foolish Christians. Israel with all their knowledge missed the coming of the Messiah. Will half the Christians fail to recognize the second coming of Jesus?

Matthew 25:14-30… The parable of the talents… This parable teaches about the talents that God gives to His people. Five, two, and one. We are not to hide them. Two of the people expanded on their talents and used them and brought increase. One hid his talent for fear. Jesus said in verse 29,“For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away that which he hath” (KJV). Jesus proceeds and talks how people used their talents and how some did not. One receives a “well done”; another received outer darkness. Kingdom saints are talented and use their talents to bring increase into their lives and into the treasury of the kingdom of God.